The risk of reading new writers, especially indie authors, is that sometimes I want to love the book but I can't. Even though the writers are talented and the stories are crazy imaginative, there are things missing or distracting because writing is fucking hard. Round characters. Dialogue. Showing not telling. But not showing too much. How many times did I use the word small? All the male characters are the same. The main character is too perfect. Now she's a douchebag no one can connect with. Adverbs. Adjectives. I just Johnny Depp'ed the shit out of that character. Another flashback?
I read several authors this month and they were entertaining. I could feel the beauty and passion they poured into their stories' creation. But.
There are so many of us writing. And lots of the collective 'us' are great writers. People like me are hanging onto this ride by our fingertips-- hopefully surviving the savage dips. The difficulty of crafting a well-told story overwhelms me. I am overwhelmed and I know the only way to deal is to keep crap writing until I have a piece of shit I can smudge smooth along the cracked edges. When I invest in a new writer and their work is not shit, but doesn't yet shine either, my own weighted mediocrity births writerly compassion and I cop out.
So no spotlight this month. Suggestions are welcome for the next!
I read several authors this month and they were entertaining. I could feel the beauty and passion they poured into their stories' creation. But.
There are so many of us writing. And lots of the collective 'us' are great writers. People like me are hanging onto this ride by our fingertips-- hopefully surviving the savage dips. The difficulty of crafting a well-told story overwhelms me. I am overwhelmed and I know the only way to deal is to keep crap writing until I have a piece of shit I can smudge smooth along the cracked edges. When I invest in a new writer and their work is not shit, but doesn't yet shine either, my own weighted mediocrity births writerly compassion and I cop out.
So no spotlight this month. Suggestions are welcome for the next!